Hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and now it’s time to get back to the grind and finish off the year strong. I was able to fill using E-10 fuel just before Christmas, and I have noticed how much easier it is to start the car instead of the E-85.

Here is the update of my fuel usage:

Starting Odometer: 4722.3

Ending Odometer: 5008.4

Miles: 286.1

Fuel Used: 16.069 gallons

Price/gallon: $2.799/gallon

Cost of fuel: $44.98

Cost per mile: 15.72 cents/mile

Miles per gallon: 17.80

As the winter has gotten colder, it seems that the mileage has went down and the cost per mile has went up. I have used a half tank of the E-10, so I will follow up with results hopefully before the end of year. Have a great weekend!

Here is the excerpt about Ward’s take on the 1.0L 3 cylinder engine that Ford uses in the Fiesta:

“Ford manages to be the first automaker ever to win a Ward’s 10 Best Engines trophy for a 3-cyl. engine, a tiny 1.0L powerplant with a cast-iron block small and light enough to fit in the overhead bin of a commercial jet.

The latest member of Ford’s EcoBoost turbocharged direct-injected gasoline engine family is found now in the Fiesta subcompact with a base price of $16,050 and a highway fuel-economy rating of 45 mpg (5.2 L/100 km) with a 5-speed manual transmission.

The 1.0L EcoBoost represents a technological achievement as well: Clever engineering allows the engine to function without a balance shaft. Instead, the flywheel and crank pulley are offset to counteract the odd firing sequence, which creates certain vibration challenges in a 3-cyl. engine.

“E85” is thought by many to denote a vehicle fuel containing 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. However, the ethanol portion of the blend must contain, by law, at least 2% denaturant (a hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons in the gasoline boiling range). Therefore, E85 actually contains 83% ethanol at most. Furthermore, in cold weather conditions, a greater percentage of gasoline is required in the blend to ensure reliable starting and driveability. In the coldest weather, as much as 49% gasoline is needed. In most U.S. climate zones, 30% gasoline is sufficient for much of the year. The latest ASTM specification, D5798-13a, specifies where and when the four different classes of fuel for FFVs should be used. Because of this variation in the ethanol percentage, many in research and industry have begun using the term “flex fuel” in lieu of “E85.”

So this will be the last tank of the E-50 that we will use for the rest of the winter. We will check back with E-50 when it warms up to see if there is a difference between the warmer and colder temperatures. We will try to stay with the E-10 and E-15 fuels for awhile. Happy driving!